WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2023) US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, will head to India and Bangladesh January 12-15 for high-level talks on a range of issues including trade, energy and security, the State Department said in a press release.
"Lu will also meet with senior Indian officials to discuss ways in which the United States and India can further expand energy, trade, security, and human rights cooperation," the release said on Tuesday.
The State Department said Lu will also participate in the US-India Forum, which is scheduled to be held in New Delhi January 13-14.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is slated to give the keynote speech on day one, according to the agenda, followed by a virtual address from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
According to the forum's website, in addition to energy and trade, the topics at this year's event include the Indo-Pacific, Russia-Ukraine, South Asian geopolitics, defense production, supply chains, and climate change, among others.
Launched in 2017, the annual gathering's stated objective is to bring together 100 eminent representatives from both countries for discussions, under Chatham House Rules, and to reaffirm the depth of the bilateral relationship and collaborate on the path ahead.
In Bangladesh, Lu will meet government officials and civil society leaders to discuss expanding economic engagement and will listen to perspectives on labor and human rights, the release added.
